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Live at North Island Credit Union Amp
July 25th, 2025 Review by Greg Vitalich
On a perfect Southern California summer night under the stars, rockers Incubus celebrated the 24th anniversary of their smash double-platinum 2001 album, “Morning View,” by bringing their popular Morning View + The Hits Tour to North Island Credit Union Amphitheater in Chula Vista.
As the tour name suggests, the concept of playing the entire Morning View album in track order and ending with a flurry of other favorite hits certainly motivated music fans, as the 20,500-seat open air venue was close to sold out.
Opening the evening’s entertainment was Paris Jackson. The daughter of legend Michael Jackson humbly walked on stage barefoot, holding an acoustic guitar, sat in a chair and proceeded with a melancholy, folkish, indie-rock acoustic set oozing with emotion.
Having never heard Jackson’s music, first comparisons were singer Hope Sandoval of Mazzy Star. The 27-year-old proved her talent worthiness and earned much respect for carving out her own unique musical path. Toward the end of her set, Jackson proclaimed that the next band, Manchester Orchestra, would “knock your socks off – oh wait, we’re in California, they’re going to knock your Birkenstocks off!”
Jackson’s proclamation proved correct. Veteran indie rockers from Atlanta, Manchester Orchestra hit the stage and had people looking at each other nodding in agreement that these guys were for real. Lead singer/guitarist Andy Hull’s raw emotional vocals, heavy spacy instrumentation and interesting dynamic mood changes grabbed people’s attention. Manchester Orchestra was well-suited for firing the crowd up for Incubus.
To no surprise, Incubus began the show with the first track off Morning View “Nice to Know You.” A dimly-lit stage set the atmosphere as guitarist Mike Einziger started swirlingly delicate hypnotic chords as the crowd erupted in excitement.
Soon, the rhythm section kicked in: drummer Jose Pasillas started side-sticking the snare and, the band’s newest member, bassist Nicole Row ran that tasty familiar bassline intro, while DJ Kilmore put down sick turntable scratches to add to the band’s signature rhythmic layers.
Then the band exploded full volume into the hard chunky riff we’ve all heard a million times on alt radio as lead singer Brandon Boyd took the stage, gyrating wildly to the beat.
Incubus was on fire, proficiently and technically weaving in and out their signature dynamic musical arrangements: transitioning beautifully from melodic, gentle moments to in-your-face blasts that had people dancing and jumping.
Brandon’s voice was solid, noticeably having evolved from raw youthful power to a craftier focus on vocal subtleties and emotion. The overall band’s sound was amazing – presenting an impressive album quality crispness, balance and mix, super tight and polished musicianship throughout.
Among the highlights for me were an acoustic, stripped down “Blood on the Ground” performed with Row, Boyd, and Einziger sitting together at the front of stage, smiling and interacting amongst each other and the crowd delivering perhaps the lightest and intimate moment of the show.
“Are You In?” ended with a flawless transition into Phil Collins’ “In the Air Tonight” that had the crowd singing at the top of their lungs. “Under My Umbrella” began with a clever acoustic interlude of Rhianna’s “Umbrella.”
The nostalgic journey though “Morning View” ended with the closing track “Aqueous Transmission,” an experimental piece prominently featuring Einziger playing a Chinese pipa stringed instrument. The pipa adds an exotic flare, the magical track inspiring us to escape into a tranquil meditative mindset. As the song ended, the “Morning View” album cover appeared on the large digital backdrop to loud ovations. Boyd and cohorts soaked in the enthusiastic applause and thanked everyone for supporting the band and this special album for all these years.
The hits portion of the show was a fantastic exclamation to a memorable night, kicking off with my favorite Incubus tune, the hard rocker “Megalomaniac,” right into the up-tempo ass-kicker “Anna Molly.” Next was “The Warmth” and “Vitamin” followed by the smash hit “Drive” and finally closing out with the banger “Pardon Me.”
It was an incredible night full of both nostalgia and a renewed energy with bassist Nicole Row bringing some fresh fierce and femme energy to the band’s show.
After a tour celebrating the past, Incubus will soon shift gears and focus on the future with their first album in eight years, the widely anticipated “Something in the Water.”
SHOW PHOTO GALLERY
by Greg Vitalich Photography
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